No Escape From Brothers Baldinger

VERO BEACH -- Baldingers to their left. Baldingers to their right. Baldingers everywhere the Dolphins go.

This is the third straight week Miami is playing one of the brothers Baldinger.

They got nose tackle Gary, 26, when they played Buffalo. Then, guard Brian, 32, of Indianapolis, last Sunday. This Saturday, it`s tackle Rich, 31, of Kansas City, in the AFC wild-card game.

``I guess I`ll have to call my brother Brian and get some inside tips on the Dolphins,`` Rich said jokingly Wednesday.

That might be tough. Brian, the only one of the Baldingers out of the playoffs, is vacationing in Cancun, Mexico.

``When you think about it, it`s pretty remarkable,`` said Rich. ``Three brothers in the NFL at the same time. There have been lots of twos, but I don`t know that there ever were three brothers.``

Rich and Gary might confront each other as early as next week. If the Chiefs beat the Dolphins and Cincinnati defeats Houston this weekend, Kansas City would play in Buffalo.

``Gary used to be with the Chiefs,`` said Rich. ``We`ve hit each other in practice, but never in a real game. We might have to wink to let each other know which way the offense and defense is moving.``

-- Chiefs wide receiver Todd McNair lived so close to Dolphins linebacker David Griggs when they were children in Pennsauken, N.J., ``I could hit his house with a stone from my place.``

Although they aren`t related by family, they call each other cousin and played football together in the streets and in high school.

``He`s not going to tackle me in this game,`` McNair teased. ``I`ve raised him, so I know all his moves. He`ll be a little too anxious to hit me. His eyes will get big and he`ll charge, and I`ll put a little wiggle on him. I`ll use his nervousness against him.``...

-- How Chiefs play their cornerbacks: Usually man-to-man with Ross and Albert Lewis. Won`t flip-flop sides unless Duper and Clayton line up on same side of the field.

-- Ross on Duper: ``A sneaky type of guy. Because he`s bulky, he doesn`t look like he`s running as fast as he is. Doesn`t give you a lot of moves. He just runs. If you bump him, he`ll push off.``

-- Ross on Clayton: ``More elusive than Duper. Where Duper will push off, Clayton looks to avoid the contact. They`ll both go over the middle or wherever they have to go to catch the ball.``

-- Do they complain to the referees: ``They have and I`m sure they will again on Saturday.``

-- Will Ross play bump-and-run?: ``With those kinds of guys, you can`t lay off them. You have to do something to disrupt them. Clayton is harder to disrupt than Duper.``

-- Which of the two are you more concerned about: ``I`m more concerned with me. If I`m doing what I`m supposed to be doing, whatever they do won`t affect me. They`re definitely going to catch some balls on us. We have to make sure we put them down after they do.``